A judge has significantly lowered the detention bond for an EMS worker who is facing accusations of murdering a Black man in Illinois.
On Friday, Aug. 4, Peggy Finley appeared in court to determine whether she would need to maintain a bond of $1 million as she defends herself against charges related to the compressional and positional asphyxiation death of Earl Moore Jr. on Dec. 18, 2022, according to ABC 20.
According to Sangamon County state’s attorney Dan Wright, Earl Moore Jr., a 35-year-old resident of Springfield, lost his life while under the care of two EMS workers: Finley and Peter Cadigan.
Moore was hallucinating from alcohol withdrawal as he was being restrained face-down on a gurney, Law and Crime reports.
Both EMS workers have been apprehended and are now charged with first-degree murder after an autopsy found the asphyxiation death of a man in distress that night was caused by the prone restraint.
Finley faces first-degree murder charges.
Prosecutors say she “performed acts which caused the death of Earl Moore, Jr., without legal justification, in that said Defendant and Peter Cadigan, tightened restraints across Earl Moore, Jr.’s back and lower body in the prone position and transported Earl Moore, Jr. to St. John’s Hospital […] thereby causing death by compressional and positional asphyxia, said defendant knowing based upon [her] training, experience, and the surrounding circumstances that such acts would create a strong probability of great bodily harm or death.”
Finley’s legal team requested a reconsideration of the seven-figure bond, aiming to secure a more affordable amount that she could manage. This wasn’t the first occasion that Finley sought a reduction. Her previous two attempts had been unsuccessful.
Despite her past failures, an appellate court has granted a bond reduction to $600,000. According to published rulings, justices said that the circuit court abused its discretion by denying the other motions filed by Finley’s lawyers.
According to the video, Springfield police responded to a call to Moore’s apartment after a woman frantically reported the man’s hallucination.
She leads them inside, directing them to Moore’s bedroom. Officers came into the house and saw the 35-year-old Black man lying in bed, sweating and disoriented. They then called the ambulance after assessing his awareness. After about 15 minutes, Finley and Cadigan enter. Finley seemingly tries to help Moore, grabbing his arm as he’s on the floor.
She is recorded yelling at him, saying, “Quit acting stupid. Sit up, now! I’m not playing with you today!”
“You’re going to have to get up and walk because we ain’t carrying you. I’m seriously not in the mood for this dumb s—t,” Finley continued in the episode before he dies.
The appeals court, recognizing Finley’s role as a mother of four and grandmother of six, overturned the trial court’s decisions that had twice refused to lower the bail for the defendant.
The appeals court determined that she posed no flight risk or danger to the public.
“The charge of first-degree murder is serious, as is the penalty such a charge may bring. However, the facts of the offense show defendant is not a danger to the public should she be released,” the court found. “while there were acts of violence on Moore, none were physically committed by defendant. Defendant did not assist in placing Moore on the gurney or tighten the straps around him, the two events the State alleges caused Moore’s death.”
The court also states that since the accused individual did not engage in any acts of violence and is no longer working as a paramedic, she does not present a risk of committing a similar alleged offense.
After putting up 10 percent of the reduced bond, the former emergency worker has since been released from the Sangamon County Detention Facility.
